Other Women
by Vaniti
Summary: Anzu accidentally sees Seto's phone and believes reason for him to be seeking other partners. Seto was many things - callous, arrogant, ruthless.  But a liar? Anzu is faced with the root of the problem; herself. Anzu x Kaiba. One shot.


**Other Women**

**By:** Vaniti

**Disclaimer:** Yuugiou © Kazuki Takahashi

Anzu goes through Kaiba's phone and believes reason for him to be cheating. Why, oh why, did she have to snoop in the first place? But is it true? Anzu x Kaiba. Oneshot.

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><p>She shook violently as if she had suddenly been plagued with an illness of the chills nature. Losing all of her appetite she could not look any longer. She ceremoniously pushed her plate of food and the object of her distress away.<p>

Besides the sick and swelling lump in her gut, she was furious with herself.

How stupid could she be?

This dilemma had started innocently. She would swear it had not been in her intentions. However, it did happen and there was no taking it back now.  
>Anzu Mazaki had been enjoying a late lunch at the Kaiba Mansion with none other than the owner of Kaiba Corporation himself. Seto Kaiba… her boyfriend. Even though months had passed with their relationship it was still peculiar to refer to him as such. She supposed old habits die hard. Nevertheless, if a label were to be attached to them, that's exactly what they were.<p>

They had been on the patio with appreciation for the 70 degree weather and the pleasing sunshine. She had been content as they resumed their roles with carefree banter and bringing up different, thoughtful topics. Their lunch was light with chicken salad served on flaky croissants, French leek soup and an abundance of assorted fruit with gourmet cheese and crackers. To complete everything they had been sipping on Moscato.

The whole afternoon had been absolutely wonderful. Then it happened.

Kaiba had been checking his Droid periodically for updates from his international business correspondents. She had been chatting about the choreography in an eccentric movie she had just seen, when his butler approached them a bit urgently.

"I apologize for interrupting," The elderly man bowed both to Kaiba and her briefly, "However the president for Akuzawa Toys is on the landline."

Kaiba slowly lowered his crystal-stemmed glass from his lips and set it down on the table. Anzu could see the intrigue blazing behind those intense eyes.

"Very well. I'll be right in." In typical fashion, somehow he managed to sound bored. He rolled his gaze over to her, "Excuse me for a moment."

Anzu indifferently held up her hands, palms facing him. "Good luck."

He flashed her an indulgent smirk and in a fluid motion he had gotten to his feet and strode back in through the sliding glass doors.

That was when she noticed he had left his Droid and the screen was still illuminated with his email inbox. She did not think anything of it, until she saw a particular sender. And multiple messages from this sender.

eHarmony. She halted, most taken aback. Biting the bottom of her lip she peered again. There were several notifications about multiple parties showing interest. Didn't that mean you had to have an account? Somehow the idea didn't seem like him at all. She could hardly picture the ruthless Seto Kaiba on a _dating_ website for heaven's sake…

Glancing to the left and then the right she slipped over to more closely examine.

While he claimed he was not an avid user, Anzu still knew Kaiba frequently checked his Facebook, if not to mock their fellow classmate's stupidity. She always considered it to be a secret guilty pleasure of his, really. She did not quite have the courage to look at his text messages or phone calls yet. If he was communicating or actively seeking other women via these mass communication tools, then of course texts and phone calls would follow.

She swallowed the cotton ball lodged in her throat.

She was humiliated she was doing this. It was not right, but her curiosity had been piqued and she now desired to know. Surely, it was just a ridiculous mistake. It had to be. With her heart sending quick palpitations she opened a new tab to check his social networking account. What caught her eye was the red notification which informed her there were 3 unread messages. As if she was having an out of body experience, she watched herself click to merely see what the subjects were.

A new private message from a Suzanne Bailey with a subject line of "Can't wait to meet you". Another unread message from a Sarah Sveko with the subject line of "Now out of curiosity… ;)". And yet another unread message beneath that from a Kelly Malini with the subject regarding "I look forward to hearing from you". All three of these women, from what she could distinguish from the small thumbnail, were beautiful. Two out of the three were photographed professionally and in bikinis on top of it. Bikinis.

What the hell was Kaiba doing in contact with bikini-clad women who were looking to meet him? She reminded herself to breathe. But she didn't dare click on the messages to read their contents.

Anzu felt so ill that she was legitimately concerned about her lunch coming up. Hot and cold all over, she trembled. And not able to look any longer, she returned back to his email screen and shakily placed the phone back where she had retrieved it. This was it. They had now fallen into the classic stereotype. Her, the paranoid woman, always snooping to see if her rich man was remaining faithful. It simply could **not** be true…

Oh, God.

Her stomach felt as though gnarly fingers were prodding at it. Instinctively wrapping her arms over her midsection, she reflected.

Of course Kaiba would have other women after him, or even lined up. He was a young, attractive, and wealthy CEO. A noteworthy figure of power. It was no secret that Kaiba Corp. was growing faster than a lighter to gasoline. And not only was Kaiba intelligent and mysteriously elusive, but he was flawless in his looks without much effort. His Persian blue eyes were a defining characteristic. His fashion sense was unique and definite, and impeccable. Women adored men who knew how to take care of themselves and sport the designer names to boot.

And she…Well, being an only child she had been blessed in more ways than she could count. Yet, if she were to be unsympathetic and brutally honest, she had not been born into money. She had not even been born into middle-class. Normally, this had never bothered her. Her parents were amazing and had raised her to be independent and aware of the meaning of love.

She scowled and felt ashamed. The callous facts were though, she did not have the materialistic means to compete with the young ladies who could afford extensions every other month or a personal trainer.

This did not necessarily bother her. It was the fact that these women would most likely appear more appropriate for Kaiba than she did. They probably all had money and were used to country clubs and vacationing in Italy for the summer…

More so, what truly ate at her was the fact she could not trust her own boyfriend. Kaiba of all people, a cheater? Her heart ached at the label. She just could not see it. She never imagined it to be in his character. Arrogant, calculated, merciless? Yes. But not a surreptitious liar.

"The president of Akuzawa was fancying a meeting with me for lunch tomorrow. I hope I did not keep you waiting too long." Kaiba's cool voice carried over to her as he resumed his seat.

Her sapphire orbs bore into him.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"I just did."

"Anything else? Like any business I might not know about?"

Kaiba arched a dark eyebrow. "Uh, no."

"Really?"

He shot her an inquiring look and used his knife to slice his croissant. "Not anything off the top of my head."

"Okay then," Anzu leaned back in her chair, "How about I just ask you then if you're actively pursuing other people?"

Much to her indignation, Kaiba scoffed. "With what time?"

"I don't know, seeing as how you're always glued to your phone or laptop, I figure clearly you have the time to meet other people."

"For business? Absolutely."

"So you think models are just for business?"

"Are you speaking of **prostitutes** here?"

"I hadn't considered that, but now that you've put the idea in my head…"

Kaiba put down his napkin with care and laced his fingers together.

"This has taken an unexpected turn. Anzu, exactly what are you attempting to ask me?"

"I suppose I don't have to ask. I am starting to see that I don't live up to your expectations or standards because I don't have money."

Kaiba rested his chin on his woven fingers and shut his eyes.

"How dense and pitiful can you be?"

His cold words pierced her so deeply she did not know how to respond for once. He opened his eyes and directly straightened his posture. She moved her mouth to fire a retort at him, but he held up a hand.

"I did not mean that." Throughout their relationship Kaiba had been redeeming himself with her coaching to soften his tone at the appropriate moments. He was not always aware of how heartless he came off at times. While she was glad he recognized this was one of those moments, it was hardly the time to think on that.

"What I mean is did you forget my roots? What I have come from? If you're asking if I would lose interest…in you…because you don't have 'money', well, that's outrageous."

"Of course I haven't. I am well aware of the risks you have taken and the hard work you have put in to get you and Mokuba where you are." Her tone was delivered much more harshly than she had intended.

"Exactly."

She waited for him to proceed, but he did not. She shot him an agitated quizzical glance.

"I came from nothing. We were orphans. If you do not know me in the basic sense that…" It was one of the rare times she witnessed him hesitate, "I would be interested in mindless superficiality, I am insulted. More so, to think I would think any less of you because you weren't born into a high-end family."

Some relief washed over her warmly like a hot shower at the end of a particularly exhausting day. However, as it was in Anzu's nature, she could not allow it to end right there. Obviously he did have interest elsewhere. Because despite all this, she had seen the proof to make her wonder otherwise.

"I do know you, though. Which is why I'm concerned. If you think me so stupid to not think otherwise, you're delusional. But you know what? I am insulted, too."

The faintest lines of surprise tugged at the corners of his mouth and eyes.

"By no means, do I think I look bad. And it's a slap in the face for you to be so interested in _other_ women."

Kaiba ran his long fingers through his bangs and shook his head incredulously.

"Stop right there. What the hell has gotten into you? Where is this coming from?"

Anzu's lower lip quivered. She did not want to have to resort to confess what started this all in the first place. So instead she focused on his lack of response to her statement.

"Enough. I'm the one asking the questions here."

"Precisely. Which is why the hell are you questioning how you look in the first place? Did you have too much wine? This, Anzu, is most positively unlike you."

"Because I went through your phone and saw the eHarmony notifications and the messages from _models_ you were receiving on Facebook!"

There. She had blurted it out. No going back now.

Anzu lifted her chin defiantly and made direct eye contact with him. He blinked in shock. Slowly, he lowered his hand to fold his arms across the planes of his chest. With reevaluation he uncrossed them.

"You went through my personal property?" His tone was deadly quiet and spoken so softly the menace was not lost on her.

She felt guilty. But not guilty enough to let it go. She sent him a quick apologetic glimpse before hardening once more.

"I'm sorry. Because you're right; it is an invasion of privacy. And I do mean it when I say it had not been my initial objective. I'm not necessarily proud that it came to that. However, Seto…let's face the facts. And the facts are, you're not looking too good in terms of our relationship right now."

"Funny. I was about to say the same for you."

"Answer the question, Seto. What is this all about? Why do you have women asking to meet you?"

"Your blatant insecurity is another fresh reason to rethink this in the first place."

His words stabbed her so deeply, right to the core. And if she was not so fired up, she would have seen the grief behind his careful mask.

"Do you have any idea how I feel?" She stared at him with implications, "Before you, I never felt this way. Never. And I hate it. I hate being unsure of you, but you gave me reason to be. What's the point of being in a relationship if you're questioning more than you're happy?"

"You're not happy?"

"I was until I see you have other conflicts of interest."

"So if that's truly how you feel, why bother any longer?" He had resumed his poisonous quiet tone once more.

Anzu had her pride. But there was a difference when the man she supposedly loved showed no interest at all.

"I'm pleased to see you're willing to even fight for me," She snapped with hurt threaded through her words, "This must be so convenient for you. You'll be on the market again and have access to all these beautiful women. I'm sure they're dying for the opportunity to lay in bed with you and be given access to your bank account."

"Anzu. The basis I did not want to get into this, or answer in the first place, was because I thought we had a better bond than playing victim to childish games like _this_. These women are nothing more than promotional models. If you want me to be blunt, but I don't wish to insult your intelligence, sex sells. For more office-oriented products, I know men will appreciate peering at an attractive smiling face promising the effectiveness of the product. I was in contact with them because Facebook is an effortless place to find models. I am _hiring_ them. In terms of eHarmony it's spam. And quite frankly, I'm slighted you think otherwise. About it all." His last sentence was barely audible and the young CEO reluctantly gestured to his phone.

Anzu's heart hammered against her ribcage as his words sunk in. She twisted her napkin around in her hands.

"So you're not trying to meet other women?"

"Like I said before, with what time? Their desperation disgusts me, at any rate. Last I checked, I thought I was already engaged by a brunette young lady."

His tendency to write others off quickly somehow soothed her and suddenly his words made sense. A warm flush crept over her cheekbones.

"Well, can you see how I'd get the wrong idea?"

"Perhaps you shouldn't be looking through my phone in the first place. Or just come out and talk to me without letting misread ideas formulate in that head of yours."

"Perhaps you shouldn't give me a reason to distrust you in the first place."

"Anzu," Kaiba sighed, "I don't see you simply for the sheer joy of _passing_ time. Like I previously mentioned, I do not have time for games. You mean something to me. You're irreplaceable. If I have to continue, I don't know how we can sincerely continue this façade."

Anzu turned her blue away, albeit relieved. She hated appearing self-doubting and could kick herself. It was not in her nature. She contemplated her next words deeply. It was with honesty, she decided to say them.

"I'm sorry for going through your phone. I really am, Seto, and I'll keep apologizing for it. But please listen to me when I tell you that while I understand you, I sometimes can't help but feel something better will come along for you. You're always looking to be the best. Perfection. Well, in terms of looks, I know other women can perfect themselves to that."

Kaiba stared at her for a long moment. Finally, he chuckled and lightly slid his Droid over to her. The breeze picked up and tousled his brown tresses rebelliously over his eyes.

"Look away, Anzu, if that will put you at ease. But in terms of perfection? How do I seek it when I already have the pleasure of bantering with, and admiring it, every day?"

It most certainly wasn't exactly romantic but in terms of Seto Kaiba…it was the closest thing she could get.

"Same," she quietly smiled.

But she did not look through his phone again. It had been their first real argument. It stunned her, what the power of misinterpretation or the feeling of being inadequate, could do.

They continued their lunch and picked up where they left off, and Anzu noted Kaiba was shooting her more attentive glances between sips of Moscato and conversation.

She knew it was true; if there was no trust in a relationship, how could one ever be at peace of mind? You would drive yourself crazy. Anzu reconciled that as humans, we all have insecurities and can misconstrue a situation accordingly. Doubt was the exact opposite of a healthy union. And she did not want to behave suspiciously on the grounds that she wanted to trust Seto.

And later that evening she desperately wanted to have faith; that while being pinned against the Egyptian cotton sheets, of Seto's California King-sized bed as his warm lips trailed against her flat stomach, he only had eyes for her.

He became edgy, out of character uncomfortable, and said three words that gave her her final answer, too.

**Fin.**

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><p><strong>AN**: Well, obviously I did things a bit differently here and established a previously existing relationship between Anzu and Kaiba. Anzu is a confident character, but I think she might have some insecurities in dating the CEO. As for Kaiba, it's difficult to say how he'd be in a relationship. We don't know. I would hope he wouldn't be quite as callous as he is in the show and be softer in a relationship. It was amusing to me mentioning things like Facebook with him…Almost makes him seem human hehe. I did want to make general point with this fic, so I hope you all appreciated it. I know it's complicated to assume how Anzu and Kaiba would be together in romantic conflicts. Anyway, reviews, comments and opinions make me super happy! Most sincerely yours —

Vaniti


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